Gardens A small botanical gardens compared to many. It has a circuit that takes roughly 45 minutes. There is a good cafe there which is popular for breakfast by the locals and visitors. Due to its size it’s good for parents with young children. Not a spectacular garden and for travellers really keen on gardens I suggest the Everglades in Leura, in the Blue Mountains and Sydney’s Botanical garden. Good bathrooms and easy parking. Very helpful staff. Love your local guide -M ❤️ If helpful please like or follow me

Just amazing. One of the best gardens in Australia, better than the Sydney, Adelaide or Melbourne Botanics. Some work going on at the moment so some of the main path is cut off, but still worthwhile.

We visited Australian National Botanic Gardens on a weekday. It has lots of flowering plants, trees and nice walking paths. We also saw many iguanas. We had lunch at the Pollen cafe which was almost full house. There is also an interesting bookshop. We enjoyed our visit here.

To be real, it’s not the best botanical gardens you’ll go to in your life. But it’s also built in the unforgiving arid environment of Canberra. The fact they have a outdoor rainforest section that SURVIVES is incredible

Such a nice place for inspiring, informing and connecting people with the Australian flora! The Australian National Botanic Gardens maintains a scientific collection of native plants from all parts of Australia. The plants are displayed for the enjoyment and education of visitors and are used for research into plant classification and biology. A herbarium of preserved plant specimens is closely associated with the living collection. The Gardens also cultivate plants threatened in the wild. This helps protect them against extinction and provides information which might assist reintroduction to their natural habitat.

A lovely garden in Canberra which maintains a scientific collection of native plants from all parts of Australia! The rainforest is definitely the highlight, but other places are also beautiful to visit. Great place for family and friends gatherings!

It is quite interesting taking a walk around the garden with different trails. Finding your way around and learning about some animals and plants is awesome. Can take a break and give yourself a treat at the nice cafe within the garden .

It's definitely worth it. I aim to go to the botanical gardens in every city I visit, and this one has to be my favourite I've seen. The range of plants and wildlife was amazing and perfect for taking photos. Will visit again next time I'm in Canberra.

Great tranquil place to walk around and discover a large range of Australian natives. Unfortunately there are a few snakes around, but that's nature I guess. During summer, there isn't a lot of flowers. The best part is definitely the rainforest gully. At 1pm every day there is a mist show at the lower boardwalk, which is something you should definitely see. Overall very good place to go for a weekend.

Great place to look around the gardens and enjoy the different areas. Great to have a picnic in undercover areas or use a rug on the ground, or to enjoythe cafe. The volunteer guide provided a lot of information.

Had big expectations, but the place was not great :/ We love botanical gardens, but half the paths were closed, and the ones that were open had nothing interesting and/or spectacular to look at. Compared to other botanical gardens I've gone to, this one was disappointing. My local parks are more interesting and enjoyable honestly. Barely spent an hour there.

A nice place to visit. A big collection of valuable books in the store. The garden has a small desert and a rainforest, lot of birds, and a tree house. A beautiful place to visit for a nature lover. They have guided tours, special lectures and science events if you need to learn more. There are pre-booked special events targeted for kids too.

This place is a national treasure and the best tourist attraction in Canberra. They have the most diverse range of native species in Australia(4,600) The best way to experience these wonderful gardens is to go on a free guided tour. These tours are offered at 11 am each day. The plants are generally found in themes such as the Banksia Gardens,Eucalypt Lawn, Red Centre Garden, Rainforest Gully etc It’s amazing what grows in Canberra and the number of microclimates that have been created. There are many areas to explore and lots of walks within these world class gardens. At present the relatively new(2020) Banksia Garden has beautiful blooms. A wonderful cafe too with a lovely deck and outlook. Enjoy! 😁

An excellent trip out. Lovely walks and the density of botany are excellent reflections of the care put into the gardens. Good for all ages.

Absolutely stunning! A great day out (Mother's Day 2022) immensely enjoyed by family from ages 4 through to 53, something for everyone. Well designed and much to see. Many different exhibits and we had an amazingly wonderful day

First time visit and I fell in love.. such a beautiful place to all to visit. Great paths, lots of toilets, easy parking and not to mention the gardens and the wildlife.. I am hooked and am going back😊

Visited this botanical Gardens on a beautiful day about 19 degrees. The paths , boardwalks, bridges are in immaculate condition. The other thing I loved was how well all the areas and plants were labelled. The wildlife that we saw were amazing. Also loved all the lage animal statues around the different gardens. The interactive touch screens and voice recording are great tools to help educate visitors. The facilities were awesome. Beautiful and such well kept gardens. Entry to garden is free. The only thing to keep in mind is that parking is not free, but ar time off this visit was $3.70 per hour. Highly recommend a visit when in Canberra.

Beautiful gardens laid out well with solid formed paths and walkways. Entry was free but you have to pay for parking like every other popular spot in Canberra. The rainforest section was especially good and well established for the climate that they're in.

Wonderful experience for the entire family. Lots to see and do. Great space for wheelchair access or Mums with Bubba's or tots with little bikes. A huge array of notes about the gardens and lots of wonderful signage about plant species. Great cafe, lots of toilet access along the way. Different types of paths, both flat and started areas.

Wow, what an amazing place to visit! The botanic gardens isn’t the easiest to get to if you don’t have your own vehicle (it’s a bit of a walk from the nearest bus stop), but it’s definitely worth the trip. The gardens are free to enter and have several trails/walks to explore. It’s split into various sections including a multilevel rainforest (where you can appreciate all the different levels of the forest), a rock garden showcasing a lot of plants from Western Australia, and a banksia garden with a rich variety of banksias from across the country. The focus is primarily on plants native to Australia, and it’s surprising that they’re able to grow such a diversity of species despite the somewhat harsh weather conditions of Canberra. They have a daily free guided tour at 11AM, which I’d highly recommend. Andrew was our guide and he was very knowledgeable, friendly, and obviously enthusiastic about the flora. Such a great tour! Overall, highly recommend for both locals and tourists!

A great overview of Australia botanical habitats. The eucalyptus lawn is rich with the scent of the gum trees and the arid garden looks like you are in the red centre of the country with spinifex and Sturt desert peas. My favourite is the rainforest, amazingly captured in cool, dry Canberra and a magical place to walk through. Keep an eye out for the lizards, basking in the sun or swimming in the ponds.

Absolutely beautiful. Must try the rainforest walk around 11am to 2pm.

Not sure what to expect, but wow they rainforest trail is sensational, and seeing so many different plant species was brilliant. The gardens are well laid out and access is easy for anyone to navigate. There was a sign saying, Don't forget to breath, and do you know something, the air was so clean and clear, it would be making you well just walking through the plants, trees and shrubs on the trails, perfect.

Pure rain forest experience in Canberra - a must visit - experience to get close to nature - no entry fees for self experience -paid electric bus park guided tours at designated times- nominal parking fees - cafe - toilet

Good -Free entrance. -Natural environment. -Flora Explorer Electronic bus tour is recommended. Sometimes in school holiday period, it is free. Volunteers are super friendly and nice. Bad -Paid carpark. $3.60 per hour.

This place is quite fun for those who have interest in plants. Its quite good and peaceful place. Good facilities of parking and washrooms. You can find the pathway to black mountain and to telstra tower through it. Be aware of the reptiles it may scare you 🤩🤩🤩

A lovely place for a walk on a nice day. Red centre area was really special. We have not been to central Australia but the area made us wonder if that’s what it’s like to walk through the red desert. It was definitely a different experience from other botanic gardens. We only stayed for an hour as that was all we could spare at the time. It was enough to do the loop on the main path with short detours in several areas. However I would allow at least three hours next time to explore all the corners thoroughly. Entry into the garden was free but you have to pay for the parking.

The Australian National Botanical Gardens is a great place to spend a couple hours on a weekend walking around looking at all the wonderful plants and wildlife. You can also go for a picnic or get some lunch and a coffee from the Cafe and restaurant. The Gardens are open 9:30 - 4:30 every day (except Christmas) and there is free entry. There is plenty of parking. Parking does cost $3.50 per hour via the pay stations. I recommend paying for atleast 2 hours if you plan on walking around because I found time flies there while looking around. Its definitely worth stopping in at the visitors centre before you go for a walk. The staff are very friendly and helpful and will help you find and particular interests and routes for your time frame. There is plenty of free information available and there is a gift/book shop that has a great deal of resources including a small variety of seeds. The main path around the Gardens takes you through or past many of the different areas and takes approximately 40 minutes to walk (if you don't stop). There are public toilets in the gardens and water bubblers to get a drink. Also plenty of places to sit for a rest or eat some food. There are so many plant varieties to look at and most of them are labelled so you can find out what they are easily and get ideas of what you want in your own garden. If you love the outdoors and love plants, you will definitely enjoy the Botanical Gardens.

Beautiful natural australian botanical garden and wildlife. Half a day is not enough to explore the place. Perfect for bush walking.

Great day out😊 the ranger was great at suggesting walks and what to see. The maps of the gardens were great? Easy to follow. We had a lovely picnic at a picnic table where the water dragons are meant to be located but we did not see any😲 My niece loved the tree house, the stick teepee the sparkly pebbles in the new Banksia Gardens. Lots of natives in flower.

Our first stop was the ANBG before check into our hotel. it's admission and the place very clean and well organised and full of native trees and shrubs and flowers. We paid for the reasonable parking fee. We follow the path that took about 30 minutes. We stopped for lunch at the Pollen cafe. We didn't book ahead so we had to get the foods via takeaway path. It was a nice start for our trip. Highly recommended.

A nice surprise in the middle of Canberra. The gardens contain a well planned maze of various plantings which also attract wildlife. It's a good way to pass a few hours just strolling through the individually themed gardens, spotting wildlife...and meeting your fitness tracker goal.

Sunset cinema was great. Will go back to see the gardens as they look good

Excellent meal and relaxed atmosphere. Great place for lunch.

Very botanical

Quiet day today.

Walk through the rainforest gully on a hot day when the misters are on. Wonderful!

A place to go when you want to sit, relax and commune with nature.

Beautiful! Excellent food, awesome setting...

Great spot for a walk

Native plants to discover. I took a picture of a small waterfall three years ago. They also have a treehouse kids can climb and explore.

Such a great place to bring kids. Definitely recommend a walk through the rainforest misters on a hot day. Also recommend including a hike up to Black Mountain Tower. :)

Pleasant but don't expect it to be like (for instance) the Melbourne botanical gardens.

A nice and lovely experience, several parks and places to sit and enjoy the quiet surroundings of nature. The Dinosaur setup was fun and great for all ages. Have been coming here many many times and will continue to do so. Disability Parking Bays available. Toilets are located throughout the area & Cafe close by near the entrance.

great to see the indigenous plant life of australia up close. The rain forest section with the mist was a cool experience.

Lovely, but not sure it is elderly-friendly with all of the steep paths

Was going to visit but didn't, parking charges of $3.60 an hour are way too much!

Lots of natives in bloom because of abundant rain

Did the tropical rainforest walk on wife's bday. Hard to believe that such a place exists so close by and within canberra Hats off to how the place is maintained.

The free guided tour needs to be made more covid safe. Would be nice if the tour was preceded by a theaterette or powerpoint session. Otherwise it was a very nice person doing the tour.

All the important plants and trees are planted separately in different places and zones which is very important for the plant loving people. Walk ways are systematically designed , more over it was not boring to spend time there. We would thank the authority for this.

Loved the the walk

Beautiful Australian gardens and shrubs. Just loved wandering around and exploring

Not comparable with better ones in Melbourne and Sydney

Ideal for those wanting the ultimate nature experience. Absolutely beautiful in the gardens!

This place has absolutely huge variety of not just plants, but entire environments! Great for a short walk, or a whole day of exploring!

Rainforest mist simply wonderful..

Loved the rainforest section

Great place. But expensive parking even on Sunday.

Tons of paid parking, absolutely gorgeous area. Perfect for a romantic picnic or stroll to get your steps in for the day!

Lovely catch up with friends at the Cafe.

Amazing !

Everytime is better then the last.. Its beautiful..

We are so lucky to have such a beautiful garden in our town. Botanically it is amazing. Although I wouldn’t recommend for events, they don’t seem to care about the impact of different events on each other (noise / crowds) or the cleanliness of the bathroom facilities.

Very relaxing to wander through the gardens.

So beautiful and really well maintained !

The Australian National Botanic Gardens is a heritage-listed botanical garden located in Canberra, established in 1949. It was much lower than my expectations. Very typical garden. If you have extra time, visit the place otherwise invest your time in other attractions.

Walked around the gardens for hours. Did enjoy the rainforest walk which was created when opened, so many different environments created in one place to enjoy. Was a highlight of my stay in ACT.

Excellent place to spend the day, so much to learn and explore. The rainforest is definitely the highlight, but other areas are so unique as well!

Such a lot to see and a lot of walking but beautiful gardens and well kept. The Cafe was a good find for lunch and great coffee.

Great place for a relaxing walk, well maintained. Free entry however parking is not free unfortunately. Make sure to pack something to take your rubbish home as no bins are provided to avoid attracting pests. If you like nature photography its a nice place to visit.

Wonderful place, great for families and photographers, not a single complaint. Such a beautiful, peaceful and calming place to be! I love it, definitely coming back again

Beautiful place. The only reason I gave 4 stars was because of the signs! There was no logic to them. At a three way road they had three signs pointing in the same direction and no arrow indicating which way is which. It was so easy to get lost in there. Really nice place though. Loved the mist in the rainforest area.

Love this beautiful place, it's fauna and flora. The kids love it too. It's a safe place for them and they love all the adventures, animals, water, stepping stones and activities. The rain forest and creek walk, stepping stones are just gorgeous. Lots of places to sit and rest in the shade or kids to run on the grass or tracks. It's so special and we very much appreciate having this fabulous facility for us all to enjoy.

Beautiful gardens. Don’t understand people complaining… seriously (1: “paid parking loses three stars”?! Paid parking helps upkeep the gardens which are otherwise free-entry; 2: “no dogs allowed = one star”, keep your pooch at home or go to a dog park, there are native wildlife all around the park.

Exceeded my already high expectations!! I LOVE that this garden has been designed to showcase Australian native flora in a way that shows that our plants are FAR from boring and is quite beautiful! There were replica ancient Australian skinks sculptures which the kids loved, and I saw flowers (in Winter 😍) that I has never seen before! And the only cost was for parking, which was very reasonable.

Absolutely beautiful gardens! Popular on weekends. You can buy lunch and drinks and there is a playground but I just wanted to see the gardens. The ponds with ducks are just so lovely and there is a section with ferns and water falls it’s just gorgeous! The Arid section is quite interesting and quite well done. The rest of the garden is just so nice to wonder around. Free to enter but you have to pay for parking. That’s they way most of Canberra gets its money I think ! Cos most things you go into a are free.

Great place to take a walk. There's a huge variety of gardens including a rainforest area with mist, which is very cooling when venturing out on a warm day. Plenty of seating scattered throughout the gardens for a rest or to admire and take in the sights and sounds. There are exhibitions in the buildings, and take a stop at Pollen cafe for a refreshment or a bite to eat. There are plenty of outdoor seating with a mix different size tables with the large tables having shade. Car parking is paid and contributes to the up keep of the gardens. There are several gates that lead to Black Mountain for those who want to take a stroll to the top of the mountain. There are often performances and movies shown at these Botanic gardens throughout the year. Plenty of things to enjoy here.

One my favourite places to take the little ones for a stroll. The rainforest boardwalk always makes for great photos and the tour is both informative and enjoyable.

Stunning botanical garden with quiet pockets of solitude, long peaceful paths and outdoor spaces highlighting our endemic species. As a conservation biologist I can't wait to return with my camera again and be mobbed by new holland honeyeaters, Crimson Rosella's, eastern spinebills, scrub wrensetc etc etc. What a joyful place.

Really enjoyed my visit here. Absolutely breathtaking and so much to see. If you are in the ACT you must visit this wonderful place. There’s even a rainforest to walk through. So beautiful.

The gardens are always a special place to visit. The rainforest walk is absolutely one of the highlights. When you get to go in the evening during Enlighten, it's even better! On a regular day you can park in the gardens at a reasonable rate. There are plenty of different routes and areas to walk and explore. Highlights for kids include the lizard garden, exploring the different gardens and seeing all the different animals running around the place. The gift shop is also great with fabulous books, cards and quality souvenirs.

Still one of my favourite places in Canberra but the gardens, paths and signs seem to have been let go in recent years. Perhaps their funding situation has changed or it’s a result of the pandemic. It’s not as well maintained as it once was but still worth a visit for fans of nature.

This was a nice spot to check out with family has plenty of walking paths . The main entry to the gardens has a nice bridge and cafe.

Recommend visiting, take a slow walk and enjoy the gardens. We had a light meal while enjoying the morning sun. Met some interesting local water dragons. Keep an eye out for the Cassowary.

Great place to walk around, even with some overcast and clouds. Also they have a free scooter to rent for those who may need it. A great place to see and free to enter minus parking, you can bike over for free though.

Free to visit but parking is a rip off (not sure who gets the money), you can't pay for length of stay. $15+ for full day. Worth a visit to see native plants. Lots of flowers and birds. Rainforest and desert areas are included. Has toilets and many seats. Could spend ages here.

Spectacular range of plants in zones. Flowers, birds and water dragons are abundant. We particularly love the water within many of the gardens. The children's Paperbark tree house is s great new feature. You can't beat the rainforest gully on a hot summer day.

The rainforest and rock pool areas are quite nice but the drier areas further up the hill have been left to get back to "nature". 1 hour is about all you'll need. I did the full lap and some backtracking/photo taking in that time. I don't recommend trying to go up Black Mountain, particularly in summer. The path is getting overgrown and it is very exposed to the sun.

Wonderful gardens with extensive collections of eucalyptus, banksias and other native plants. There are regular (free) guided walks. We went with Pam, a very knowledgeable and interesting botanist. In addition to the plants, there were birds and lizards. Without a car, it's a fairly long walk. The bus service is very poor. But the walk through the University is very attractive. Also a very good cafe.

It is a lovely big place to walk around in. Activities for children. The bridges lead to cool and vibrant colours to see. Cafe was booked out to sit down and eat. Got a takeaway and walked around. I did not find a bin so I had to carry my rubbish around. Maybe I missed the bins. Go for a visit with your friends and children and family. 😊

A great day of adventure with my little ones. Lots of 'secret' paths to discover. So many interesting plants to see and learn about. We had a great time. Easy parking and paths are very well signed. Toilets are easy to find but may be a walk if you're in the further parts of the gardens.

Beautiful place for walking. Rainforest Gully walk is one of my favourites. If you are here in Canberra then it’s worth a visit.

Wonderful place to take a walk and enjoy the diverse plants and trees, not crowded. Free entrance but parking 3.80$ for the first 1 hour max 16$

Gorgeous! Better than expected. An extensive collection of native flora. Tranquil settings, landscape and paths. Lots of seating throughout so you can sit and enjoy your surrounds or bird spot. Plenty of parking.

A short visit under one hour which has left me definitely wanting to see more & explore the winding walking trails leading to Black Mountain beyond. It is uniquely different to the other Botanical gardens I have visited. For one - you are most likely going to step on a Water Dragon that lie everywhere basking in the sun. Glimpses of city in the distance adds to the charm. Fee payable for parking every day of the week...Free loan of wheelchairs & shuttle bus service to get around on certain days - booking required. Small gift shop & Cafe onsite.

The gardens in spring are just mesmerizing explosion of color and life. Native birds and vibrant blooms and green rain forest create a captivating and rejuvenating experience for nature lovers. Lots of places to fill up your water bottle too.

A great time to visit (October)....because a lot of the wildflowers are out....nicely pathed.....ang huge variety.....visitors centre and cafe are also highlights

Good walk heaps to see Heaps of renovations new building when we went Could walk around for ages we only did 2 ks not far from town

This is a treasure. The layout, the plants, the various different plants and environments make this one of the best places to visit in Canberra. You can walk a long way and get a good workout while being in a tranquil setting. There are so many birds to look for, from tawny frogmouths, many honey eaters, the occasional owlet nightjar to gang gangs and crimson rosellas. Take a picnic and stop at one of the many strategically placed seats and chill.

Had an absolutely wonderful experience walking through all the gardens. There was so much diversity in the landscape and plants and many hidden trails that were fun to explore, stopped at the Cafe/ restaurant on the way out and the drinks and food were absolutely delicious 10/10 would recommend for tourists or people who live around the area

Wonder place visit, great walking trails to explore a big range of flowing plants & trees... The rainforest area is a beautiful and cool area to walk through in summer. Just watch your footing with snakes! The bird life is amazing! The desert area is the red centre piece of Botanical Gardens... The Cafe at the entrance is a great place to grad a drink or a feed if you had forgotten to pick them in... Also a great spot to take the kids and have a picnic and relax with good views...

After long rainy days, a few trees fallen and little bit obstructed. My family's favourite place. Kids love the nature. Beautiful place to be photographed. U must visit if you visiting to Canberra. The cafe has variety of pastry and lovely coffees. Friendly staffs and beatiful view.

A great place to see and learn about lot of Australian plants. You will see a lot of butterflies as well as a good chance of seeing different types of Australian birds. On my trips to this garden I have seen honeyeaters, king parrots, rosellas, gang gang cockatoos, choughs and bowerbirds. It's a wonderful place for practicing photography. There is cute gift shop which is quite pricey but it does have some lovely Australian bird cards/post cards, books and other cute gift worthy items. Near the gift shop they have a bathroom as well. There is also a cafe at the gardens which always seems to be full and very popular amongst locals and tourists. There is a beautiful fernery walk which I thoroughly enjoyed.

They have lots of parking which is about 4 dollars an hour. Their is a visitor centre. A large Cafe. They have a rainforest area. A large lawn, a walk to the summit, a rock garden, lots of local animals such as birds and lizards. Not really good for kids, no parks or interactive things to do. Most of it is shaded. Currently a lot of it is under construction. Would recommend for the view, Cafe and or picnic.